Wildcats In Tights
by AussieEllie
Summary: It’s New Year’s Eve and the Wildcats have been roped in to performing for a charity talent show at Lava Springs. Meanwhile, all Troy wants is some alone time with Gabi on the one year anniversary of their first meeting…
1. Prologue: There's No Business Like

**Title:** Wildcats in Tights

**Summary:** It's New Year's Eve and the Wildcats have been roped in to performing for a charity talent show at Lava Springs. Meanwhile, all Troy wants is some alone time with Gabi on the one-year anniversary of their first meeting…

**Rating:** T

**Pairings:** Troyella, with background Chaylor, Zekepay and Jelsi

**Disclaimer:** High School Musical and all of its characters belong to Disney. I'm just borrowing them for a while.

**A/N:** This is a sequel to my Christmas fanfic 'The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year'. It isn't exactly necessary to have read it, but there are a few things I refer back to. Thanks to all those who have reviewed any of my previous stories, your kind words spur me to write more (hint, hint)

**Dedication:** This story as a whole is dedicated to the ZA's and our offshoot groups the HRA's and the GTYAHSM's. I would never have had the courage to write anything if it wasn't for them.

* * *

_Prologue: There's No Business Like Show Business_

* * *

_That grease stain looks like a microphone._

Troy squinted his bright blue eyes and closely examined the mark on the pale cream wall beside him. After determining that it did indeed resemble a microphone, he let out a sigh and went back to absent-mindedly tapping his fingers on the laminate table-top to the rhythm of an unknown song. It was two days after Christmas and he was waiting in a booth at the local diner for the rest of his friends and girlfriend to arrive.

_Gabriella._

Troy didn't even try and contain the goofy grin which spread across his face as he thought about his petite brunette girlfriend. He hadn't seen her since the Christmas Eve party at Sharpay and Ryan's mansion but the memory of the gorgeous smile and sweet kisses she had given him in gratitude for the ring he bought for her were sustaining him through this three-day Gabriella drought.

_I can't believe it's been almost a year since we first met. If anyone had told me this time last year that I would be head-over-heels for a cute, giggly, angel-voiced freaky math girl who inspires me to be more than just the playmaker, I would've thought that they'd gotten into Chad's stash of pink jelly shots._

As Troy started to mentally plan out a romantic New Year's anniversary celebration for the two of them, involving a candlelight dinner, DVD's and a good vantage point to watch the annual fireworks display (secluded as well, in case they wanted to make their own 'fireworks'), a gust of frosty air and the jingling of the door bell signalled the arrival of said girlfriend and six of their friends.

"You're lying!"

"I am not, I'm telling you, I'm related to Elgin Baylor."

"The Elgin Baylor, the Lakers' star player back in the late fifties to early sixties who is one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history?!"

"He can't be telling the truth, he would have bragged about it before now."

"It is true, my dad received a book about our family history for Christmas and he's like a great uncle twice removed or something like that."

Chad, Zeke and Jason's raised voices echoed across the tiled floor as they sat down opposite Troy, Chad gesticulating wildly as he tried to refute Zeke's claim. Trailing behind them, Taylor, Kelsi and Martha nodded hello, wearing expressions of amusement mixed with a hint of annoyance.

Gabriella, who'd come in last, slid into the booth beside Troy, placing a warm kiss against his cheek in greeting.

"Hey there Wildcat," she whispered into his ear.

"Hey there Miss Claus," he replied, causing Gabriella to giggle softly as she remembered how she'd acquired that particular nickname.

"It's not Christmas any more, you can't call me that."

"Hmmm, you're right I'll have to come up with a new one," Troy said thoughtfully nuzzling his nose against her ear, before pulling back and gazing into her eyes. Leaning forward, his lips grazed gently against hers before…

"Hey, what did I say about the PDA people?!" Chad exclaimed, forgetting about his argument with Zeke in the face of what he described as a sickly-sweet display of affection.

Letting out a groan of annoyance as the moment was shattered, Troy pulled away and contemplated letting Chad have an earful about his perpetual bad timing before settling on a glare which was matched by Taylor, who whacked her boyfriend across the back of the head.

"And what did I say about ruining the moment?"

Chad opened his mouth to reply but was cut off when Sharpay came bursting through the doors, Ryan following calmly behind her. Sinking into the spot next to Zeke, Sharpay sighed dramatically and rested her head on his shoulder, an upset expression on her face. Glancing at Ryan, who just shook his head as if to say 'I'm not getting involved', Kelsi took a deep breath and took the plunge.

"Ok, what's wrong Sharpay?"

The girl in question looked up and the expression on her face darkened further. The Wildcats braced themselves, Martha quickly shoving her ipod earphones into her ears and Gabi burying her head into Troy's chest.

"What's wrong? Everything's wrong! I broke a nail, Boi ruined my favourite pair of Manolo Blahnik's, Daddy refused to get me a second convertible for Christmas and one of the acts for our New Year's Eve Charity Talent Show has pulled out because of 'family illness'! How selfish is that! They're ruining MY talent show because they weren't smart enough to get their kids immunised against chicken pox!"

Sharpay's voice had gotten progressively louder and shriller throughout her rant until everyone in the diner had clapped their hands over their ears and the glasses on the front counter were vibrating ominously. Seeing Sharpay open her mouth to continue, Gabriella took a chance and jumped in tentatively with,

"Well, we can't help with the first things, but couldn't we fill in for the talent show? It's to raise money for the children's ward at Albuquerque General right? And there will actually be children there from the hospital to watch?"

Sharpay froze for a second before a brilliant smile crossed her features and she clapped her hands in delight.

"Yes, we're performing for some of the children, those well enough to have a night out of the hospital! Gabi, you're a genius, that would be perfect! I'm already doing a solo for the main act but you and Troy could sing that song, you know, the one Kelsi wrote that I…"

"Stole?" Ryan interrupted dryly. Shooting her brother a look, she continued,

"_Borrowed, _and the rest of you could sing back up and dance and…"

Gabriella, Taylor, Kelsi and Martha all had excited looks on their faces as Sharpay went on but the smiles fell slightly when Chad interrupted,

"Woah, time out!" he shouted, "Since when are we included in this?" Troy nodded his head in agreement, so vigorously that he missed the fallen smile turn into a calculating look on his girlfriend's face. Zeke just shrugged, knowing that he'd do whatever Sharpay wanted and Jason wasn't even really paying attention, instead he was fascinated by the flecks of colour in the laminate table-top.

Taylor smirked in reply, the glint in her eyes enough to make Chad nervous before she elbowed him sharply in the ribs,

"You're going to do it Danforth and that's final!"

"All right, all right, I'll do it, no need to get violent woman!" he exclaimed exasperatedly. Taylor smiled in smug satisfaction as Martha started to bop in her seat, already choreographing some new moves she could use.

"You're not going to have to do it Chad, because I'm not."

Silence engulfed the table, even Ryan who had been humming softly almost the entire time they'd been in the diner fell silent. All eyes turned to Troy, whose initial confidence was fading in the face of the girls' glares. Turning to his girlfriend, he felt the need to quickly expand on his last statement.

"It's just, it's the first anniversary of when we met Gabi! Don't you want to spend it alone, just the two of us?"

Troy's pleading voice trailed off into nothingness. Gabriella was giving him the cutest puppy dog eyes and pout that he had ever seen. Her brown eyes seemed huge and sparkling with unshed tears and promises while her lips looked so inviting that it took all his willpower not to lean forward and kiss her.

_Why does she have to look at me like that? I can never say no when she does that._

Gabriella scooted closer, Troy's breath quickening as she leant forward and whispered seductively (or at least, it was to his mind),

"Please Wildcat? I know New Year's is special to us but it's for the children. And we can still have fun and be together while doing it, please?"

In the face of such a plea combined with the proximity of his girlfriend's face to his and the puppy dog eyes, Troy caved. Kissing his plans of a romantic evening goodbye, he let out a sigh.

"Fine, we'll do the show."

Chad, Zeke and Ryan just shook their heads at Troy's capitulation, while Jason was still trying to count the flecks in the tabletop.

Gabriella grinned in triumph and hugged him tightly before turning to discuss the particulars with the rest of the girls, their excitement making them dissolve into what Chad had dubbed 'girl latin', that indecipherable jibberish girls exchanged when discussing any topic to do with boys, clothes, make-up etc. As he caught snatches of words such as costumes, lighting and for some bizarre reason, Robin Hood, his head hit the table with a thunk, a dark thought crossing his mind:

_Whoever decided that girls should come with an inbuilt mechanism to make guys do their every bidding should be imprisoned. Or shot. Or hanged._


	2. Chapter 1: Stage Beauty

**Title:** Wildcats in Tights

**Summary:** It's New Year's Eve and the Wildcats have been roped in to performing for a charity talent show at Lava Springs. Meanwhile, all Troy wants is some alone time with Gabi on the one-year anniversary of their first meeting…

**Rating:** T

**Pairings:** Troyella, with background Chaylor, Zekepay and Jelsi

**Disclaimer:** High School Musical and all of its characters belong to Disney. I'm just borrowing them for a while.

**A/N: **Ok everyone. here's Chapter 1! Thanks to sd freek, ShimmerShimmerx, dRaMaQuEenxox3 (I promise to come read your story when I have time), ZVKG-ai (Hey to one of my fave ZA's! I know, guys are such softies, especially Troy!), xxZanessaxx and anonymouswriter14 for reviewing. Also thanks to all those who put this story on their alerts or favourites, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

**Dedication:** For my soul sister Audrey, who shares my love of not only HSM but the guilty pleasure that is Sailor Moon. I'm still crossing my fingers you'll get the internship and let's hope things aren't as crazy in that dressing room as they are in this one!

* * *

_Chapter 1: Stage Beauty

* * *

_

The dawn of New Year's Eve settled over the streets of Albuquerque. All over town, people were gearing up for the celebration of the year. Council workers were already hard at work decorating the public spaces designated for New Year's celebrations, cordoning off areas for fireworks and using tinsel left over from Christmas displays to give the town a festive air. Those citizens who were required to work headed off happily to their jobs, anticipation of the night's events making even the tedious of tasks seem inconsequential. Hotels and clubs prepared behind closed doors, last-minute counts of beverages and food essential for the New Year's rush. A new beginning was coming and excitement filled the air everywhere, except for a small pocket of atmosphere surrounding a rather familiar white truck. Its lone occupant grimaced as he drove through the streets, enthusiasm for the New Year farthest from his mind.

_I'd better be able to spend some time alone with Gabi today. No, scratch that, I'm gonna make sure I do, even if I have to abduct her and hide out in the bunker on the 14__th__ green._

Troy's reluctance to participate in the show had only increased over the past few days once it became clear that they wouldn't be able to just rock up and sing. Sharpay was determined to provide the best entertainment and had laid down a schedule for New Year's that included rehearsals and clothes fittings and more rehearsals before the actual event. Even worse, Gabriella and the other girls had thrown their support behind it 100, meaning that any protests he could have voiced would have fallen on deaf ears. It wasn't that he didn't want to do something for charity, he liked the idea of being able to help in some way, but any hope he had of pulling off even a little romantic time together was fading fast.

Pulling to a halt outside the Montez's beautiful two-storey home, he took a deep breath and rested his head on the steering wheel.

_You know, you could just pick her up and drive off into the sunset for the day. Sure, she'd be angry at first, but turn on that Bolton charm and I'm sure she'd forget all about the show._

_You know you can't do that. You'd be disappointing all your friends, letting down the kids and not to mention Gabi would probably give you the silent treatment like she did when you accidentally insulted her hairstyle a few weeks back._

The little devil and angel in Troy's conscience had been piping up with thoughts like this since he had agreed to participate in the show. So far the angel was winning, no surprise since Troy epitomised the stereotype of a 'good guy', but the little devil's ideas were gaining ground. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't see the shadow that fell across the car seat til a sharp tap on the side window caused him to jump. Gabriella was standing by the car, her curly brown locks shimmering in the early morning light. Grinning, she opened the door and slid gracefully into the seat, her purple satchel making a thud sound as she deposited it on the floor. Troy was still a little caught up in his thoughts and failed to hide the torn expression on his face before Gabi could notice, her grin fading into a look of concern.

"Are you ok? You seem a little on edge."

Shaking his head, he leant over to press a chaste kiss of greeting on her lips before replying,

"I'm fine, I was just thinking."

Not convinced, Gabriella chewed her lip before a spark of understanding lit her brown orbs.

"Are you still worried that we won't be able to celebrate our anniversary properly?"

Troy opened his mouth to deny it, but the look of empathy in his girlfriend's eyes made him change his mind and slightly nod his head in acquiescence.

Eyes softening, Gabriella leaned in closer and ran her hand through his hair, a ray of sunlight making the ruby in her ring sparkle joyfully.

"Troy, I know that this isn't what you wanted to do, and is probably not even close to what you had planned but we'll still be able to celebrate. Our friends know this day is special for us and I'm sure they'll give us some private time. Besides, I think singing together, even in front of a crowd with our friends singing back-up, is very romantic. I mean, it's how we met so what better way to celebrate, right?"

During Gabriella's little speech, Troy's frown had become a grin, his bad mood dispelled in the face of his adorable girlfriend's boundless optimism. She was right, he had been so hung up on not being able to go through with his plans of a romantic evening alone that he hadn't been able to see the possibilities in what they were doing.

Gabriella, upon noticing his now happier mood, kissed him lightly on the cheek and settled back into her seat, a smile of satisfaction creeping across her beautiful features.

Sensing that he didn't need to say anything in reply, he gunned the engine to life, intertwining his right hand with her left and resting them on his knee. Maybe today wasn't going to be so bad after all.

* * *

"No."

"Come on Troy, we don't have all day."

"I said no Sharpay."

"You're holding up the seamstress, let's move it."

"No!"

"Bolton, get that basketball playing butt out here right now or I'll send Ryan in there to drag you out!"

Sharpay crossed her arms impatiently, sharing a look of exasperation with Taylor, Kelsi, Zeke and Ryan who were standing beside her. There was silence for a few seconds before the shuffling of a curtain could be heard and reluctant footsteps made their way towards them. Stopping just in front of them, the Wildcats present let their eyes travel up from the feet encased in brown leather boots to the two slim yet muscular legs squeezed into bright green lycra. From there, their gazes travelled over the brown leather belt to the torso covered in a darker green tunic, skipping over the angry facial expression, up to the feathered cap perched jauntily on a bed of messy brown hair. Silence once again permeated the dressing room before they all burst into fits of raucous laughter.

"Troy, (giggle), you look, (snort) so cute!" Taylor exclaimed before succumbing to the laughter which had rendered the other Wildcats useless.

Frowning in anger, Troy tried to recall some of the optimism he had felt merely an hour before but failed miserably. Upon arrival at Lava Springs, he'd been informed that in an attempt to make the act more entertaining for the children, they'd be role-playing characters from Robin Hood while singing, meaning costumes were essential. Apparently, the girls had decided on this on the first day they'd decided to participate and the rest of the guys knew all about it but he'd been too pre-occupied sulking about having his plans with Gabi ruined that he had been left out of the loop. Brought out of his memories by the entry of Martha and Jason who stopped, stared, then proceeded to join in the laughter, Troy started to pull the cap off of his head,

"That's it, there's no way I'm wearing this! The other guys don't have to wear tights, so why do I?"

"You have to wear tights because you're Robin Hood. And it's not just you, Ryan's wearing them too as one of the Merry Men. Chad doesn't have to wear them because he's Friar Tuck, Zeke's Little John costume came with normal pants and Jason, well, Kelsi didn't want anyone staring at her boyfriend's legs and threatened to boycott the show if I put him in tights, and since she wrote the damn song, we couldn't have that now could we?" Sharpay replied, jerking her head towards Kelsi at the end who had the grace to blush under Troy's accusing glare.

"I think you look hot Wildcat, green's a good colour on you."

Whirling around at the sound of Gabriella's voice, Troy froze in his tracks.

_If I'd known about this costume thing sooner, I would've insisted we sing. It should be illegal to look that gorgeous._

His girlfriend was standing in the doorway to the main dressing room and she looked absolutely beautiful. The purple and green full length Maid Marian gown clung to all the right places, the low-cut neckline and corset she wore combining to make her, uh, 'assets' stand out more than usual. Her hair had been put in loose ringlets which framed her face, a crown of flowers sitting lightly upon the curls.

"I'd close your mouth Troy, unless you're auditioning to be a fly-catcher," Ryan commented wryly as Zeke jokingly impersonated the stunned Wildcat captain by bugging his eyes out and pretending to drool.

Meanwhile, Gabriella crossed her arms in front of herself self-consciously under Troy's appreciative gaze, feeling slightly uncomfortable and wondering whether letting Martha talk her into wearing a corset with the dress had been the right course of action. The movement snapped Troy out of his daze, and he winked at his girlfriend, a smirk blooming across his face.

"You look beautiful My Lady," Troy exclaimed grandly, making a show of bending down to place a kiss on the back of her hand. Gabriella giggled softly in response, her anxiety melting away at her boyfriend's goofiness.

"Guess you're not going to have any problems getting him to wear the tights now, huh Sharpay?" Taylor commented, prompting Zeke to change his impersonation to miming out being whipped, Jason chortling at his friend's actions.

At that moment, the light-hearted atmosphere was pierced by a yell. Two seconds later, a brown-clad blur streaked past the startled lovebirds and sought refuge behind Ryan and Martha.

"Chad?" Kelsi asked questioningly, the afro-headed teen having pulled her next to Martha to form a human screen.

"Save me. Save me from that psycho, I beg of you," Chad pleaded softly. Before any of the Wildcats could enquire further, a tall, muscular woman brandishing a pair of scissors appeared, her eyes scanning the room.

"What is it Helga?" Sharpay asked the Lava Spring's hairdresser, wondering what could have happened to make Chad run in here as if the dogs of hell were after him.

"Where is that boy? I'm not finished with him yet," Helga asked, a light German accent colouring her speech.

"Oh yes you are!" came an exclamation from behind Martha, "I'm not letting you anywhere near my hair, she was trying to cut it all off!"

"He is playing Friar Tuck, no? It is necessary," Helga explained advancing on Chad's position. Laughing in realisation, Sharpay put a hand on Helga's arm to stop her.

"I know Friar Tuck is meant to be bald, but I think in this case we can make an exception."

"I don't know, we're striving for authenticity here," Taylor teased, her boyfriend shooting her a dirty look in reply. Helga just shrugged her shoulders and headed out, the Wildcats having the decency to hold in their laughter until the door had shut.

"I think you may have been too late in leaving, it looks like she already took a good chunk out," Martha said in between giggles.

"What! Where?"

Chad jumped up and looked in the mirror, franticly checking that Helga hadn't done any lasting damage before realising that Martha had been joking.

"Very funny," he muttered darkly, before looking for something to deflect the attention away from himself. His gaze landed on Troy, his eyes widening as he took in his costume for the first time.

"I knew this day would come, what did I say before you auditioned for the winter musical? Granted it's not exactly a leotard but still…I need a lily to place on the grave of Troy's masculinity," Chad said in mock sadness, shaking his head in imagined sorrow.

His only reply was an exclamation of anger and a feathered cap which hit him smack-bang in the face.


	3. Chapter 2: Phantom of the Opera

**Title:** Wildcats in Tights

**Summary:** It's New Year's Eve and the Wildcats have been roped in to performing for a charity talent show at Lava Springs. Meanwhile, all Troy wants is some alone time with Gabi on the one-year anniversary of their first meeting…

**Rating:** T

**Pairings:** Troyella, with background Chaylor, Zekepay and Jelsi

**Disclaimer:** High School Musical and all of its characters belong to Disney. I'm just borrowing them for a while.

**A/N: **Once again, thanks to all those who took the time to review: ShimmerShimmerx, sd freek (Isn't it fun to knock guys down a peg or two, especially when they try to act all tough), babygal4real, xxZanessaxx, basketballems21(That was one of my fave parts to write so far) and obsessed elf (I love the movie too, this whole story started from the mental image of Zac in Cary Elwes' role). Ok then, let's get on with the story!

**Dedication:** For my honorary little sister Kristen, who is lucky enough to live 30 minutes away from where they will be filming HSM 3. You'd better get an autograph for me lil' sis!

* * *

_Chapter 2: Phantom Of The Opera_

* * *

"Hey man."

Troy looked up from his position on the concrete steps in time to see his best friend flop down next to him, a look of exhaustion on his face.

"What's up?" he asked amused, silently laughing at how pitiable Chad looked.

"Ugh, remind me again why we agreed to do this?" Chad gestured around, his hand pointing in front to the Lava Springs workers currently setting up chairs and tables then behind them, where Sharpay was in the midst of rehearsing her number for the show on the large wooden stage. They'd been going over their song for the last hour before Sharpay had finally called a break, saying that she needed to rehearse her solo. Her loud vocals and the clickety-clack of her high heels provided a steady stream of background noise, though the little devil in Troy was tempted to classify it more as a racket than any real form of music.

"Because you're so pathetic you can't say no to your girlfriends?" A wry voice commented next to them. Ryan was sprawled out over the steps, his bright pink beanie pulled low over his eyes. Zeke, who along with Jason had just escaped the clutches of the seamstress and had sunk down on steps as well, nodded in agreement.

"Hey, at least we aren't as bad as Master Chef or Clueless over here. They didn't even protest, we at least put up a bit of a fight in the beginning," Chad protested, pointing accusingly at Zeke and Jason.

"Yeah, it's not our fault our girlfriends are masters of persuasion," Troy chimed in, his gaze travelling to where Gabriella was sitting with the girls on the grass a few metres away. She was no longer wearing her costume but her normal outfit still showcased her curves off beautifully. His eyes couldn't help but follow her slim jean-encased legs, past her curvy belted hips and petite waist, up to her perfectly formed breasts, pushed up by the purple strap top she had teamed with his white basketball hoodie.

_How did I get so lucky? I must've done something right somewhere to end up with a girlfriend like her._

Tearing his eyes away from her chest (he was a gentleman after all) his gaze travelled up her slim neck to be met with a pair of sparking brown eyes. Gabriella had noticed his perusal and grinned at him knowingly, causing a blush to spread across Troy's cheeks as he quickly turned his attention back to his friends, hyper-aware of Gabriella's gaze on his back.

"Ah, so nice of you to join us again Captain," Zeke joked, having realised that Troy's attention had been momentarily elsewhere.

"Join us again? He didn't go anywhere," Jason said scratching his head in puzzlement. Chad let out a groan and Ryan playfully whacked him on the head with his beanie, causing a playfight to erupt, Chad and Zeke joining in enthusiastically.

Troy smirked at his friends' antics and had to admit, even though he'd been reluctant about doing this at first and cutting down on 'Gabi alone time', it was nice to hang out with his friends like this. There really wasn't a better way to gear up for the New Year.

_Though, having Gabi all to myself later would definitely move this day from an 8 to a perfect 10 on the Troy Bolton 'Best Way To Spend A Day' scale ._

With that thought in mind, he let himself be pulled into the playful scuffle, laughing when Chad screeched as Zeke accidentally stepped on his afro.

_No better way indeed.

* * *

_

"Are you done making your boyfriend blush?"

Taylor's voice pulled Gabriella's attention back to the girls, a bright red flush creeping up her neck and lighting her cheeks. After catching Troy staring at her, she'd become caught up in a daydream involving her blue-eyed Wildcat, a bottle of chocolate sauce and a deserted island beach. Her thoughts had quickly strayed from a Disney cartoon, hanging a right at a soap opera, bypassing the teen movie and heading straight into romance novel territory. Could she help it if she just happened to be in love with the most amazing, gorgeous and _sexy_ guy at East High, if not the entire state of New Mexico?

Noting the rather obvious blush on her friend's cheeks, Taylor elbowed Kelsi and Martha with a mocking grin.

"Aw, I think Gabi's thinking not quite pure thoughts about the cute lunkhead basketball man over there."

"Am not," Gabriella replied childishly, the deepening blush on her cheeks indicating otherwise, "I was just…uh…reminiscing about how my life has changed since I met Troy on this day last year."

"And having a sex day-dream about him," Kelsi said bluntly, re-adjusting her newsboy cap which had slipped to one side before blushing herself as the rest of the girls' eyes fastened on her in disbelief

"Kelsi! What happened to our shy little composer?" Martha asked in mock horror, placing her hand against her heart dramatically.

"She spent way too much time with Sharpay and Taylor over the past year," Kelsi replied with a sly grin, "It's a surprise they haven't corrupted the entire student body with their boldness."

Upon hearing this, Taylor just shot Kelsi a dirty look which quickly dissolved in giggles. The laughter was contagious and soon all of them were wiping tears of mirth from their eyes.

"Back on topic, I wouldn't blame you for having thoughts like that about Troy, Gabi, boyfriend is fine," Taylor drew out the last syllable, fanning herself with her hands.

"Hey, drool over your own boyfriend, Troy's mine," Gabriella replied primly, the blush finally fading. Before the others could tease her further, their easy camaraderie was shattered by an ear-piercing shriek. Whipping their heads' towards the stage, the girls' mouths all fell open in shock.

A few metres over, the boys stopped in their tracks as they too stared at the drama unfolding before them.

The tall fake tree which was to be used for their act (and a few of the others) had been fastened upright with wires connected to the building behind the stage. Now, one of the wires had snapped and the Styrofoam tree was leaning dangerously at an angle that would make the Leaning Tower of Pisa green with envy. But that wasn't what had made Sharpay scream blue-murder. No, that was prompted by the rather heavy boom laden with lights. Instead of being suspended a few metres above the stage, the falling tree had knocked them so they were dangling precariously mere inches from Sharpay's perfectly coiffed blonde hair.

Shaking off their shock, the guys leapt heroically into action. Zeke pulled Sharpay from the stage, Chad and Troy gently lowered the lights to the floor and Ryan and Jason pushed the tree into an upright position, holding it while one of the workers quickly fixed the supporting wire.

"Sharpay, baby, are you ok?" Zeke asked anxiously as the girls' crowded around to check on their friend. Sharpay didn't answer for a second and Gabriella took a good look at her face. Something seemed to be brewing in Sharpay's eyes, the normal mix of ice and perk in her gaze shifting into a maelstrom of emotion. Gabriella stepped back instinctively, tugging on Taylor's arm so her friend was forced to retreat as well.

"Gabriella? What…" Taylor's voice petered out as Gabriella turned a wide-eyed gaze on her.

"Hide. Now," she whispered before darting over to her slightly surprised boyfriend, dragging him down the steps and crouching behind one of the tables. No sooner than Troy had opened his mouth to ask what in the hell had gotten into his girlfriend, Hurricane Sharpay erupted into full force.

"Ahhh! Am I cursed?! Do I have a sign on my forehead that says 'Make this girl miserable'?! Or is it the show that's cursed?! Since Day 1, things have gone wrong left, right and centre! People pulled out, costumes didn't fit, food orders weren't delivered on time, props were broken in transit, the list goes on! Now I get almost decapitated all because of a stupid tree made of Styrofoam?!"

Sharpay was gesturing wildly throughout her rant, almost whacking Zeke, who hadn't heeded his instinct for self-preservation and had stuck by his hysterical girlfriend, square in the jaw. Gabriella had placed her head on Troy's shoulder, as he buried his head against her neck in an attempt to block out the noise. Hiding behind other tables (in Chad, Taylor and Martha's case) or under the piano (Kelsi and Jason), the rest of the Wildcats wished desperately for it to be over but were dismayed when Sharpay showed no signs of stopping.

"I swear, we're cursed! I bet Daddy built this country club over some old burial ground and there's an angry ghost out to ruin my show! It's like the Phantom of the Opera only it's a ghost not a deformed psychopath and I'm way more talented and pretty than that sissy Christine! Listen up, you show-wrecking, attempted-murdering ghost! This is my turf and you're not welcome! Pack your little spectral bags and get the hell away from my country club! I…Whack!"

Sharpay's voice cut out abruptly and her jaw dropped in shock, her hand automatically reaching up to rub her reddening cheek. Ryan stood opposite her, a look of amusement mixed with brotherly concern shining in his eyes, his hand dropping back to his side.

"You…you…slapped me!" Sharpay managed to stutter out.

Ryan just shrugged.

"You have to admit, you were getting a little bit too hysterical sis. You were scaring away all the other performers."

The Wildcats sniggered at this, the shocked look on Sharpay's face alone enough to send Chad into conniptions, before they braced themselves for another rant. They all sighed in relief when Sharpay settled on giving her brother an evil stare and stomped off towards the first aid area, Zeke trailing anxiously behind. Before they disappeared inside, Sharpay looked over her shoulder, her angry look melting away into one of sisterly annoyance mixed with a hint of pride.

"Ryan? Thanks, maybe I was a little over-the-top, but don't think I'm gonna let you off that easy. I think a new Prada tote would be just fine for compensation," she remarked, sending her brother a sunny smile before continuing indoors.

Chad leapt up from his hiding place with a look of disbelief.

"I knew Sharpay could run hot and cold faster than you could blink, but seriously Evans, you have to tell me, is she schizophrenic?"

Ryan just laughed and ignored Chad's question, instead motioning to Jason, who was helping Kelsi from out under the piano, to help him remove the light-laden boom from the stage. His sister's rapid mood swings were nothing new to him. Though standing up to her when she was in the middle of one was a new occurrence, thanks to the confidence his new-found friends had given him.

"Bipolar?"

Taylor brushed past her boyfriend with a familiar shake of her head, helping Martha to stand while brushing a few stray strands of grass from her pants. Her boyfriend could be so idiotic at times, she wondered why she put up with him, before sighing at her own inability to get mad at him. He could just be so cute at times. Not that she'd ever tell him that.

"Affected by the winter blues?"

Troy took the opportunity of being this close to Gabi in a semi-concealed position to steal a kiss from her lips, his arms automatically pulling her closer till he could feel the warmth of her skin through her clothes. For a few brief moments, nothing else mattered but her lips under his, her tongue duelling with his, her hands stroking his back with feather-light touches, till…

"Dropped on her head as a baby?!"

_One of these days I'm going to strangle him._


	4. Chapter 3: Star Wars

**Title:** Wildcats in Tights

**Summary:** It's New Year's Eve and the Wildcats have been roped in to performing for a charity talent show at Lava Springs. Meanwhile, all Troy wants is some alone time with Gabi on the one-year anniversary of their first meeting…

**Rating:** T

**Pairings:** Troyella, with background Chaylor, Zekepay and Jelsi

**Disclaimer:** High School Musical and all of its characters belong to Disney. I'm just borrowing them for a while.

**A/N: **New Chapter! Sorry it's taken me a little longer to get this one out, I kept getting distracted by all those adorable pictures of Zac and Vanessa at Palm Springs...can you say Awwww! Thanks again to the reviewers, though it seems like the numbers have dropped off. Please, even if it's just one word, reviews let me know if people still like this. With that said, let's get on with the story!

**Dedication:** For Zvkg, one of the coolest ZA's around who never fails to make me laugh with her sarcastic wit and always amazes with her super searching skills. The rooftop would be a very empty place without you!

* * *

_Chapter 3: Star Wars_

* * *

"_You are the music in me…yeah…" _

As the music faded away, Troy leant his head against Gabriella's, their faces so close that he could easily see the flecks of gold sparkling in her mahogany orbs. Her eyes were one of his favourite things about her. They were just so expressive, whether they were shiny with happiness, stormy with anger or clouded with sadness, Gabriella's eyes were truly the window to her soul. He could still remember with aching clarity the shimmer of tears and heartbreak in them last summer when he'd idiotically hurt her. That expression had stuck with him even after he had made amends and he had vowed right then and there to do everything in his power to prevent her eyes from ever glistening with tears of sadness like that again.

_Oh man, when did I get so corny and sappy? Oh right, about the same time a brunette angel became the music in my life and damn it, I'll be sappy til the end of my days if it means I can have more moments like this with her._

They'd just run through the complete act for what seemed like the millionth time but he wasn't complaining. It had given him a perfectly valid excuse to brush up close against his girlfriend multiple times, a fringe benefit which went a little way to easing the last remnants of his unhappiness about having to spend such a significant day in their relationship rehearsing and performing instead of kissing and cuddling. Of course, throughout the rehearsals the two had been subject to multiple comments from the peanut gallery (better known as their so-called friends) because of this closeness from the usual "Get a room" to "Hey you two, this is a children's performance not a porn flick!"

_I wish life had a remote control, being able to mute our friends would be incredibly handy. Not to mention, I could pause Chad whenever it looked like he was about to demonstrate his talent for having the worst timing ever._

"Well, that was good considering most of you are amateurs. It wasn't perfect but I suppose I shouldn't expect too much. You guys singing background vocals just need to remember to stay in tune and Ryan, that twirling leap needs a little adjusting. And Troy, tonight could you please refrain from staring so intently at Gabriella for so long after the song has finished, you can have eye sex later when there won't be any little children around for you to corrupt."

Sharpay's voice broke into Troy's meandering thoughts and he pulled back from Gabriella to see the rest of the Wildcats staring at them in amusement. He flushed pink as his brain fully registered Sharpay's comment, his girlfriend doing the same, ducking her head cutely like she always did when she was embarrassed. Internally debating on whether to let go of Gabriella or not, Troy settled on wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her so she was flush against his side and dropping a kiss into her hair. The action caused a smile to blossom across his girlfriend's face, her embarrassment forgotten in the face of her boyfriend's possessive yet sweet gesture.

"Leave them alone Sharpay, I think it's adorable," Taylor sighed, eliciting matching sighs from Kelsi and Martha who nodded their heads in agreement. Behind them, Chad started to mime as if he was choking on the sappiness but immediately put on an innocent smile and placed his hands behind his back when Taylor turned around suspiciously.

"What?" Chad asked lightly, "I didn't say anything." Taylor narrowed her eyes but turned back around, apparently missing the high-fives Zeke, Jason and Ryan started to send Chad's way.

"Don't even think about returning those high-fives Chad Danforth."

Chad froze and looked up expecting to see that his girlfriend had turned back around, but sputtered in shock when he realised she was still facing away from them.

"How, how…how the hell did you know that's what they were doing?!"

"Didn't you know, Taylor has eyes in the back of her head," Gabriella said in mock seriousness, Troy smirking next to her.

"Yeah, they are a genetic deformity, she's had them since birth," Martha chimed in.

"Wow, so that's how she always knows what is going on…is it cool to see backwards and forwards at the same time?" Jason's question caused a blanket of silence to fall over the group, each one questioning whether he was really that gullible before he broke out into a wide, cheeky grin.

"Fooled you."

This caused the group to break into raucous laughter, Kelsi walking over to give her boyfriend a quick peek on the cheek.

After a few minutes of ensuing hilarity in which Taylor and Chad bickered comically, Ryan chased Zeke around the stage because Zeke stole Ryan's beanie and Troy and Gabi once again seemed oblivious to it all, Sharpay decided she'd had enough.

"If you're all quite finished," she exclaimed exasperatedly, tapping her heels against the hardwood stage though the smirk on her face belied her anger, "We still have a lot of rehearsing to do."

"This motley group could rehearse til the cows come home and they'd still be dreadful. I can't believe you're allowing them in the show, it's an insult to those of us who are _real _performers."

A high-pitched nasally voice floated across the stage, disgust and a sense of superiority clearly conveyed in its harsh tones. Whirling around to see the source of the insult, the Wildcats looked around in confusion when all they saw was a cute young boy standing on the first step up to the stage. Aged around 10, he was dressed in black dress pants with a sparkly red shirt; his blond hair perfectly gelled into place. If they didn't already know that Sharpay was his only sibling, the Wildcats would've sworn the boy in front of them was Ryan's younger brother.

"Dude, I didn't know you had a brother." Expecting a comment like that to come out of Jason's mouth, the Wildcats were surprised to see Chad looking between the two with an expression of puzzlement clear on his face. Before they could respond, the boy snorted contemptuously.

"Please, as if I would be related to these two," the young boy said imperiously, sweeping his hand towards Ryan and Sharpay, "My family is much more prestigious than theirs. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Anthony Alexander Atkinson III, child prodigy and prolific performer."

"Oh please, more like child know-it-all and prolific pain in the…" Ryan had quickly moved to his sister's side, slapping his hand over her mouth before she could complete her sentence.

"Hello Anthony, I thought you weren't arriving till closer to show time."

Ryan's voice was polite but Troy could detect the underlying sarcasm quite clearly.

"And miss an opportunity to watch your…_friends_ make utter fools of themselves? Not likely. And on that, may I offer a few critiques…"

Before any of them could answer in the negative (because from his comments already, they were sure any advice he had to give would not be along the lines of "Just add a leap here and it will be fine"), Anthony stalked up the steps and surveyed them coolly, an action which really was quite comical given that the top of his head barely reached Gabriella's shoulder.

"Hmmm, let's see…you're too meek, too goofy, too stiff, too try-hard, too uncoordinated, too …" As he strutted by all the other Wildcats, Troy had to hold in a laugh at the expressions Anthony left in his wake, from Kelsi's gobsmacked stare to Chad's murderous glare. He was apparently unsuccessful as the self-declared prodigy suddenly spun on his heel and stalked towards them.

"And as for you, Mr male lead, I suggest you step aside from this whole production and let a real man serenade this beautiful maiden," Anthony declared, bypassing Troy to gaze up adoringly at Gabriella. He performed a gallant bow before straitening up and stepping closer, his face dangerously close to a rather sensitive area of Gabriella's anatomy.

"You my dear, are the rose amongst the thorns, perhaps you would like to ditch these amateurs and accompany me to the dining room for a refreshing lemonade."

At these words, any amusement Troy had felt suddenly switched to anger

_No way did that little punk just hit on my girlfriend! I don't care if he is only 10, Gabi's mine! And the only guy who should have his head anywhere that close to Gabi's breasts is me!_

While Troy was ranting in his head and slowly turning purple, Gabriella fidgeted uncomfortably and took a step back, her cheeks once again taking on a pinkish hue.

"Uh, that's a very nice offer but…"

"But it's time for you to leave. I believe I just heard your mother calling for you," Sharpay interrupted, having broken free of her brother's grasp. She somewhat forcefully ushered Anthony from the stage before he wrestled his arm from her and straightened out his shirt.

"Very well, I know when I'm not wanted, so I'll go…but beautiful, if you ever want to leave that untalented hack for a real performer, I'll be waiting." The last part was said to Gabriella, as he threw her a wink and disappeared from view.

Stunned silence persisted for a few moments after his departure before a single voice sliced through.

"Gabi's breasts are mine!"

Gabriella's mouth dropped open in shock at her boyfriend's sudden outburst, before she smacked him in the shoulder.

"Troy! I can't believe you just said that!" she exclaimed before stalking off the stage.

Troy stood stunned for a few seconds as his brain registered that he had accidentally verbalised his internal rant, before taking off after his girlfriend.

"Wait, Gabi, come back, I didn't mean to say that…Gabi!"

The rest of the Wildcats looked on in amusement as Troy almost tripped down the stage in his haste to reach Gabriella before she could get too far.

_Oh man, how much of an idiot am I? I thought only Chad and Jason suffered from the foot-in-mouth syndrome…maybe it's contagious._

Catching up to her just as she reached the door to the dining area, Troy gently grabbed her arm and spun her around. Ready to offer a full apology and beg forgiveness for his idiotic outburst, his voice faltered when instead of being faced with an angry girlfriend, he was confronted with Gabriella's beaming smile before she pulled his head down for a heated kiss.

After a few moments, he pulled back and looked at her in askance.

"No, I'm not mad," she answered his unspoken question, "You're allowed to have the occasional stupid outburst. I just wanted to get you alone for awhile, I've been wanting to kiss you since we first started rehearsing."

A broad grin crossed Troy's face and he slung his arms around her waist.

"Well, never let it be said that I don't oblige a lady," he drawled before leaning down to kiss her again, losing himself to her supple lips.

_Let little prolific performers hit on Gabi all they want, because at the end of the day, I'm the one who gets to kiss her. _


	5. Chapter 4: There's A Girl In My Soup

**Title:** Wildcats in Tights

**Summary:** It's New Year's Eve and the Wildcats have been roped in to performing for a charity talent show at Lava Springs. Meanwhile, all Troy wants is some alone time with Gabi on the one-year anniversary of their first meeting…

**Rating:** T

**Pairings:** Troyella, with background Chaylor, Zekepay and Jelsi

**Disclaimer:** High School Musical and all of its characters belong to Disney. I'm just borrowing them for a while.

**A/N: **Thanks once again to all the reviewers, you guys make my day! Especially to hear that you find this humorous, I always worry that I'm the only person who finds it funny! Someone asked a question about my wallpapers, most of the pictures I use in them come from the Miss Vanessa image gallery.

**A/N: ATTENTION ALL ZAC FANS! **I am one of the admins for a new Zanessa blog run by a group of fans who call ourselves the ZA Angels. Anyway, another one of the admins and one of our editors (both of whom live in LA) took a trip down to Santa Monica High where Zac is currently filming Seventeen on Friday January 11 and...THEY SNAPPED SOME PICS OF ZAC!!! To see the pictures and read the little tale of their Zac-hunting adventure, head to the ZA Angels blog, the link is in my profile. Ok, now that that's out of the way, let's get on with the story!

**Dedication:** For Dee, who is not only my amazing proof-reader for this fic, but who also has become a very good friend in a very short space of time. I made sure to include a half-naked Troy just for you Dee and in return, all I want is some time with Monkey Zac when I come visit!

* * *

_Chapter 4: There's A Girl In My Soup_

* * *

Troy's brow furrowed in concentration as he carefully considered the choice that lay before him. Rubbing the back of his neck, his eyes darted from side to side, drops of perspiration beading across his forehead as the magnitude of the decision to be made hung over him like a heavy cloud. Did he stick with what he already loved, sweet and exotic, or did he branch out and try something new, rich and zesty? Both had their own merits, own pros and cons, but he could only pick one. 

_Ok Bolton, this decision could change your life, don't make the wrong one._

His hand trembling, Troy reached out shakily, his fingertips brushing lightly against the smooth material before closing his hand around…

"Oh for God's sake Troy, it's just food, pick a meal already! Geez, you're fussier than Sharpay at the mall!"

Gabriella's exasperated voice broke through Troy's concentration, causing him to jump in surprise and almost knock over the plate of mango chicken and rice he had been about to grab. Regaining his composure, he grabbed the plate and turned to look at his girlfriend, who was standing with one hand on her hip, a plate of chicken salad in the other. The smirk on her face made her lips look very tempting but he figured that since they had spent a good 20 minutes kissing earlier before the others had come after them (afraid Gabriella had run him over in a golf cart in her apparent anger, they'd been quite surprised to see the two of them making out like no tomorrow in full view of the patrons in the dining room), that he could wait til after lunch to feel those lips under his again.

"It's not just food Gabi, it's a very important decision. What if I pick the wrong meal and get food poisoning and have to pull out of the show huh?"

He gestured his hand across the giant table laden with almost every type of food you could imagine. Sharpay had organised for the kitchen staff to prepare ready-made plates of food for all of the rehearsing performers and stage staff and had them set it up on the table outside near the stage. Lunch time couldn't have come soon enough for the Wildcats, non-stop rehearsing for the past few hours had lead to even usually quiet Kelsi complaining loudly.

"Food poisoning? You've been hanging around with Ryan too much, you were never this melodramatic before," Gabriella teased as the two headed over to where their friends were sitting on the grass.

"Who's melodramatic?" Chad asked as Troy sat down, pulling Gabriella to sit in a rather precarious position on his lap. It was going to make eating a difficult task, but there was no way he was going to let an opportunity to feel his girlfriend's cute butt pressed against a certain part of his anatomy slide. Of course, if anyone asked, he'd tell them that he just didn't want to make Gabriella sit on the slightly damp grass.

"Troy, he was making picking a meal into a do or die decision," Gabriella replied, grinning as Troy lightly poked her in the side with his fork in retaliation.

"Oh, it is though. Choosing the right meal is extremely important, you can't just eat anything," Zeke explained, his eyes sparkling as he discussed one of his favourite topics.

"You would say that, ever since you spent the summer cooking with Chef Michaels, you've turned into a food Nazi!"

Sharpay raised her eyebrow at her boyfriend, who simply grinned and offered her a spoonful of his mushroom soup. Taking a sip, she leant forward and kissed him in return, the light touch of lips soon becoming more passionate.

"So, moving on, is everyone excited about tonight?" Taylor asked in an attempt to divert attention away from the couple before Chad could interrupt them.

"I am, this is going to be so much fun!" Martha said, clapping her hands together enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I have to admit this whole rehearsing thing hasn't been too bad, but I do want confirmation on one thing, there's not gonna be cameras there right?" Chad directed his question to Sharpay but since she was still busy inspecting Zeke's tonsils with her tongue, Ryan fielded the question.

"Well, there is supposed to be a photographer coming, but if you don't want photos then I guess we can direct him not to take any of our act."

"Yes!" Troy blurted out, "No cameras. It's bad enough I have to wear bright green tights that no one aside from Peter Pan has ever pulled off successfully in the first place, there is no way I'm letting anyone else outside of the children and guests see me in them too."

"Fine, we won't take photos then," Sharpay promised, having rejoined the conversation.

Troy looked at her suspiciously since she never gave in that easily on something she had already planned but shrugged when she seemed sincere. He turned his focus back on his food, missing the devilish gleam which appeared in her eyes. Kelsi caught it though, a grin spreading across her face as she caught Sharpay's attention and stealthily motioned that she would keep her mouth shut.

A comfortable silence fell across the group, their familiarity and easy camaraderie making talking constantly unnecessary. Troy quietly chewed on his chicken, stifling the occasional moan as Gabriella shifted on his lap. At first he thought she was just uncomfortable and trying to find a better position, but after the tenth or so shift, she threw him a saucy little grin, so quick he had to blink to make sure he hadn't imagined it. A slow smirk adorned his features as he pressed a kiss to her shoulder.

_So my angel-voiced freaky math girl wants to play it that way huh?_

Deliberating for a moment, Troy placed his fork on his plate, freeing up one hand that slowly snuck under Gabriella's top. She froze as it continued its northward journey, glancing around checking to see if any of the other's had noticed (they hadn't at the moment, something Gabriella was grateful for. If they caught Troy with his hand up her top, they'd never hear the end of it). Sucking in a breath, her body tingled in anticipation as his hand inched closer and closer until…

"Ahhhh!"

Gabriella jumped up off of Troy's lap in surprise when his hand had suddenly started to tickle her mercilessly. Unfortunately, in the motion of jumping up, she hadn't kept a firm grip on her plate. Seconds passed at a crawl as the plate flew up in an arc before landing smack bang on Chad's afro in a waterfall of lettuce, tomato and chicken.

"Oh God, I am so sorry Chad, I didn't mean to…" Gabriella's voice trailed off at the wicked look which had replaced his initial shock. Realising his intention, she ducked just in time to avoid the plate of lukewarm, half-eaten chilli fries. Troy wasn't so lucky though, preoccupied by laughing at Chad and Gabi, he didn't notice the plate till it hit him square in the chest, chilli sauce dripping down his light blue shirt.

The group seemed to be stuck in some kind of bizarre tableau for a moment, Chad with his hand still outstretched from chucking the plate, Gabriella curled up on the ground, Troy looking down at his shirt uncomprehending what had just happened while the others all stared in shock.

Slowly pulling the plate away from his chest, Troy gazed at the few chilli fries still stick to the plate before lifting his head and pinning Chad with a stare. One beat passed, then another before…

"Food Fight!"

Jason had pre-empted Troy's next action by yelling loudly and flinging his plate of Shepard's Pie randomly into the air, chunks of mince and mashed potato raining down on Kelsi, Taylor, Zeke and Sharpay.

After that, it was on. Food started flying through the air with abandon, chicken wings, fries and anything soft and mushy becoming perfect ammunition. The Wildcats had quickly become covered in food, Sharpay's hair turning an ugly shade of grey when the remnants of Zeke's mushroom soup were splattered all over her.

When Martha accidentally hit one of the neighbouring performer's with a misdirected meatball missile, the fight spilled over to include all of the staff and performers who had been chilling out around the table. Those who weren't keen on participating quickly found shelter inside the nearby dining room as anyone still in the grass area was fair game, there were no friends in lunchtime warfare.

* * *

_I wonder if this is what its like to be in an actual battle._

10 minutes after Gabriella had accidentally thrown the plate which had sparked it all, Troy found himself making his way to the table to get more ammunition. He had lost Gabriella in the haze of flying food a few minutes ago, when he'd dropped to the ground to scoop up some chilli fries to lob Ryan's way, so he was making the dangerous trek to the table alone. Ducking and weaving around people and objects, he groaned in disgust as a bowl full of custard hit him in the back, the chilled substance soaking through his already soiled shirt. Turning quickly to hide behind one of the large palm trees which formed a ring around the grass area, he pulled his shirt over his head in one fluid motion, discarding it on the ground.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he prepared to head back into the fray, but before he could even take the first step into the warzone, he collided with a warm body heading the other way.

"Gabi?"

The figure looked up and smiled in relief.

"Troy, I thought I'd lost you to a lethal lasagne or something."

Grinning at her flippant comment, he took in her appearance. His (now her's) formerly white basketball hoodie was stained with blotches of sauce and dried food. Her curly locks were caked with some unknown substance, her jeans darkened with stains and she had a smear of what looked like chocolate across her cheek and lips.

Reaching a hand out to wipe some of the smear off, he gently ran his finger over her cheek before lifting it to his mouth and licking it clean.

_Definitely chocolate._

With Gabriella watching him intently, he bent down to kiss the rest of the chocolate smear from her lips. His tongue darted out to taste the sweet confectionary before morphing into a slow and languorous kiss. Gabriella melted against him, her hands running up his bare chest in feather-light caresses.

_And I thought I wouldn't get any alone time with Gabi today…_

The thought flitted through his mind but didn't settle as he became lost in the sensations kissing Gabriella always evoked in him. Quite content to keep kissing her indefinitely, he was rudely interrupted by a sharp shove to his back which sent him stumbling. Stopping himself and grabbing onto Gabriella before she toppled over, he turned around to yell at whoever had bumped into him, only to find that they were now barfing chunks onto the ground.

_I guess smashed up food just doesn't agree with some people._

Knowing that the moment was now broken and not really wanting to stay near the still retching teenager, he sighed and pulled on Gabriella's hand, jerking his head towards the still raging food fight questioningly. She nodded and he started to walk back into the fray again but was stopped by her tugging on his hand. Turning, he saw that she'd removed the white hoodie and was now holding it out to him.

"I know it's dirty but there's no way I'm letting my boyfriend out there shirtless. Along the lines of your little outburst earlier, your six-pack and pecs are mine."

Smirking at his girlfriend's possessiveness, he took the hoodie and pulled it on without a word. It was strangely satisfying to hear the jealousy colouring her voice in a primal kind of way.

Holding his arm out gallantly, he bowed his head.

"Shall we?"

"We shall."

Looping her arm through his, Gabriella cuddled close as the two ventured back out into the warzone, heads held high.

_Now this is the way it should be, me and Gabi as a team…watch out Wildcats, prepare to get your butts' kicked!_


	6. Chapter 5: Dirty Dancing

**Title:** Wildcats in Tights

**Summary:** It's New Year's Eve and the Wildcats have been roped in to performing for a charity talent show at Lava Springs. Meanwhile, all Troy wants is some alone time with Gabi on the one-year anniversary of their first meeting…

**Rating:** T

**Pairings:** Troyella, with background Chaylor, Zekepay and Jelsi

**Disclaimer:** High School Musical and all of its characters belong to Disney. I'm just borrowing them for a while.

**A/N: **Thanks once again to all the reviewers and those people who have this story on their alerts or favourites. For all you die-hard Troyella fans out there, this chapter has the most interaction so far out of all of them, so enjoy!

**Dedication:** For Jb, who always cracks me up with her randomness, especially in our Zac-related conversations at the rooftop…fingers and salty bananas anyone? Jb, I know you've been waiting for this chapter since I first outlined this fic to you, so I hope it's up to scratch!

* * *

_Chapter 5: Dirty Dancing

* * *

_

Troy leant his head forward against the cold tile with a sigh, letting the warm water rush over his head, across his broad shoulders and down his finely-toned chest. The droplets clung to his legs before slowly sliding down to hit the floor with a plink, joining the cacophony created by the excess water hitting the tiled floor. His skin glistened in the steam, taking on a slightly rosy hue due to the heat. The ache in his back started to dissipate underneath the light pounding of the shower spray, the kinks and knots smoothing out so his muscles took on a relaxed feeling.

_Note to self: Food fights are fun, but cleaning up afterwards is a pain in the ass._

The great New Year's Food Fight (as Chad had already dubbed it) had finally petered out about 20 minutes after he and Gabriella had rejoined the fray, leaving a virtual disaster zone in its wake. Nearly every exposed surface near the fighting area was covered in smashed, ground up or just plain disintegrated food, even the stage hadn't escaped the carnage. It had looked more like a landfill than a performance space, the Styrofoam tree transformed into a grotesque caricature, instead of a realistic representation. The food fight's participants hadn't looked much better, when gathered together to be lectured by Fulton, they'd resembled more an army of mutants than a group of performers and staff.

Speaking of Fulton, he was the reason Troy's muscles ached so much. When he'd been summoned and discovered the mess that they'd instigated, he'd been outraged.

He'd launched into a long, rambling rant about responsibility, proper country club etiquette, and timeliness before ordering everyone to clean up as quick as possible. Given that the Wildcats had started the whole fight, they'd been put to work on the hardest areas. Even Sharpay hadn't been spared with Mr Evans having given Fulton superiority over her after learning of her schemes last summer. So after two hours of back-breaking scrubbing and rubbish-collecting, they'd finally been allowed to use the Lava Springs staff showers to clean up, with their dirty clothes collected to be dry-cleaned and spare staff uniforms given to them to wear until they put on their costumes.

_At least it was more time spent with Gabi._

Thinking of his girlfriend made him remember the brief interlude they'd shared in the middle of the food fight, the memory of her petite fingers running up his naked chest making him stifle a groan. Grabbing the washcloth to try and remove the sauce which had seeped through to his skin through his clothes, his thoughts turned to Gabriella's impromptu pseudo-lapdance from before the fight had even begun. He couldn't pinpoint an exact time when his girlfriend had started to display the hidden minx within, but he wasn't complaining. Lost in thoughts about her mesmerising eyes, curvaceous body and utterly perfect womanly attributes, his hand started to wander lower and lower until…

"Yo dude, hurry it up will ya? I need to get this food out of my afro a.s.a.p., before it gets even harder than it already is!"

Troy jumped guiltily as his best friend's voice came floating from outside the shower stall. Clearing his throat he called back,

"Uh, I'm almost done man, hold on a minute!"

Smacking his head against the tiles a few times, he reached for the tap and turned on the cold full blast.

_I wonder if sexual frustration is a good enough motive for murder.

* * *

_

"…I'm going to kill him."

"Huh?"

Gabriella was startled out of her second Troy daydream of the day (this one involving a mountain of pillows, a genie outfit and baby oil…she knew watching _I Dream of Jeannie_ before going to bed last night was a bad idea) by Taylor plopping down next to her in a huff. They were sitting on the now clean stage with the other girls, waiting for the guys to turn up. The guys hadn't been allowed to use the showers til last, so even though the girls took longer, they were ready first.

"What did Chad do this time?" Martha asked, rolling her eyes.

"Why do you assume it is Chad I'm talking about?" Taylor shot back, crossing her arms.

"Because he's always doing something that makes you want to kill him," Kelsi offered, Sharpay nodding her head in agreement.

"Ugh fine, I had deliberately hidden my jacket so it wouldn't get dirty during the fight and Chad offered to retrieve it before he went off to the showers. I thought it was a nice gesture, but he ended up putting messy handprints all over it! Boys, they're hopeless!" Taylor exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air in an 'I give up' motion.

"No, you just have impossibly high standards that we mere mortal men can never reach, isn't that right?"

The girls looked up to see the guys standing at the edge of the stage smirking. Surprisingly it hadn't been Chad who'd voiced the question but Ryan, who now wore a fluoro orange fedora since his hot pink beanie had been drenched in orange soda.

"Uh huh, you said it Ryan," Jason agreed, high-fiving him.

"Excuse me? We don't have high standards, you guys are just so…so…idiotic sometimes that you don't even meet the minimum requirements!" Sharpay said sharply, her icy gaze sweeping over the group.

"Hey! I am not idiot, when have I ever done anything that wasn't right?" Zeke questioned his girlfriend, a wounded expression on his face.

"Well, how about that time you…"

As the rest of the Wildcats got sucked into a boy vs. girl stand-off, with each side not giving an inch, Troy managed to catch Gabriella's eye and subtly cocked his head away from the stage. She nodded lightly in agreement and the two quietly detached themselves from the group, slinking away around the corner. Once they were a safe distance away they stopped, stared at each other and burst into laughter.

"I love our friends, but sometimes I have to wonder whether they exist in an alternate universe to us," Gabriella managed to squeeze out between giggles.

"Yeah, I would've thought that they'd have gotten all the fighting out of their system, but I guess not…I'm not complaining though, I was hoping to fit in 'Gabi alone time' sometime today and what do you know, now my schedule has an opening."

Troy's words were accompanied by a wink, as he slung his arm across her shoulders and set off towards the golf course.

"Hmmm and what would this 'Gabi alone time' entail?" Gabriella inquired with a gorgeous grin.

"Well, I thought it could start off with some kissing and I'll wing it from there…of course, I need to find her first. You know Gabi right? The really hot blonde who works in the day spa? Man, she has legs to die for…" Troy's voice trailed off teasingly as Gabriella's face morphed from a slightly dreamy daze into a look of mock outrage.

"You…" she sputtered.

Troy just grinned in response and took off running, Gabriella hot on his heels.

"You come back here Bolton!" she shouted. All Troy did was shoot her a cheeky smile over his shoulder as he kept on running.

"You gotta catch me first Montez!" he yelled back.

Gabriella increased her speed as she chased him past the basketball court and the swimming pool, careful not to disturb any of the guests. After another minute of running, Troy ducked around the large shed used to house the golf carts when not in use and slipped through the unlocked side-door. He quickly hid behind one of the carts, waiting breathlessly for Gabriella to come through the door.

A few moments later his brow furrowed, when he didn't hear the door open.

_Maybe I lost her, I know she isn't the fastest runner._

He slowly stood up and was about to head out in search of her when two small arms wrapped themselves around his neck. Jumping slightly, he relaxed as he felt Gabriella's lips place a light kiss on the back of his neck.

"Gotcha Bolton," she whispered.

Turning in her embrace, he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Hmmm, so you have…and now that you do, what are going to do with me Montez?" Troy asked coyly.

"Oh, I'm sure I can think of a few things, a comment like that can't be left unpunished," Gabriella replied, gently stroking the back of his neck, twisting the ends of his hair around her fingers. She brought her face closer to his as Troy wet his lips in anticipation…

"How about water torture? You know, the ancient Chinese found that very effective. Or dunking, that worked for Tudor England. Or…"

Gabriella's little teasing speech was cut off as Troy took the initiative and captured her lips with his own. The gentle kiss was sweet and romantic, reminiscent of those from when they first started dating, but soon the passion which had over time become more pronounced in their relationship started to creep in. The kiss became more demanding, more urgent, a meeting of open mouths and tongues. Groaning into the kiss, Troy massaged Gabriella's tongue with his own, his hands gripping her waist tightly.

_Strawberries. How is it that she always tastes like strawberries? One day I'm going to remember to ask her._

The random though flitted through his mind like quicksilver, soon lost in the maelstrom of emotions coursing through his veins. Pulling her closer, his lips parted from hers and moved down to her neck, kissing a trail up to her ear. Gabriella angled her head away to give him better access as she ran her fingers through his hair and down his back. Nibbling on her ear, he smiled smugly in male pride as she moaned his name loudly and tugged his head back to once again engage in a heated kiss.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable leaning against the cart, he broke away, Gabriella whimpering in protest before he moved to sit in the golf cart, pulling her so she was straddling his lap before reattaching his lips to her neck.

"Troy…" Gabriella breathed out, her eyes shutting in pleasure.

His left hand, which up to this point had been stationary around her waist, started to creep upwards in response to her verbal encouragement. Toying with the hem of her borrowed Lava Springs t-shirt, he stroked the silky smooth skin underneath before moving his hand up even higher. His fingertips almost dancing across her skin, they finally reached their desired destination, gently cupping her breast through her bra, his thumb rubbing small circles prompting Gabriella to moan in delight and rock her hips against him. The back and forth motion induced an answering groan from Troy as he sucked even harder on the fair skin of her neck, only stopping when Gabriella insistently tugged at his top. Moving away slightly for a second, he let her pull the shirt over his head and throw it on the floor, before returning the favour, her shirt joining his soon after.

Troy moved back to kiss her once again, his hand immediately returning to knead her breast as her hands moved up his toned abs to caress his pecs. After a few more minutes of this, his right hand, which had been wrapped around Gabriella's back moved to fumble with the clasp on her bra, a task that was made exceedingly difficult by his girlfriend's moaning and constant rocking against a very sensitive part of his anatomy. Grunting, but this time in frustration, he almost had the clasp undone when a loud voice interrupted his concentration.

"Mommy, why is that girl moaning? Is she sick?"

Freezing immediately, Troy slowly lifted his head to be met with Gabriella's stunned and horrified eyes, before they turned as one towards the door.

Mr Fulton was standing in the doorway, a set of golf cart keys dangling loosely in his hand, an expression of shock adorning his features. Next to him was a tall, perfectly coiffed woman dressed in designer golf gear, the disgust on her face clearly evident and next to her was a six year old girl, peering curiously at the pair.

Silence reigned for a moment before the woman promptly turned on her heel and ushered her daughter out of the shed, before briefly stepping back inside and pointing accusingly at Fulton.

"I don't know what kind of country club you are meant to be running here, but if I wanted to see a sight like that, I'd go to a brothel! I knew we should have signed up for the club on the other side of town, I bet they don't let hormonal teens use their facilities as their private make-out spots!" the woman yelled, before exiting the shed once more, leaving a sputtering Fulton in her wake.

He took a deep breath before turning towards the two still-frozen teens.

"Bolton! Montez! My office, NOW!"

As Gabriella hurriedly pulled away and groped around for her shirt, only one thought flitted through Troy's mind:

_Note to self: When making out with your girlfriend in a public area, always remember to pick somewhere that you won't be caught by inquisitive children or irate managers._


	7. Chapter 6: Showtime!

**Title:** Wildcats in Tights

**Summary:** It's New Year's Eve and the Wildcats have been roped in to performing for a charity talent show at Lava Springs. Meanwhile, all Troy wants is some alone time with Gabi on the one-year anniversary of their first meeting…

**Rating:** T

**Pairings:** Troyella, with background Chaylor, Zekepay and Jelsi

**Disclaimer:** High School Musical and all of its characters belong to Disney. I'm just borrowing them for a while.

**A/N: **Yay, new chapter! I hope this one is a worthy follow-up to the last one, since so many of you liked it...and once again, thanks to all the reviewers!

Oh, and I have an announcement to make. The same two girls who were lucky enough to snap pics of Zac on the set of Seventeen for our website, have scored tickets to sit in the red carpet bleachers at the 14th Annual Screen Actor's Guild Awards, which Zac is scheduled to be a presenter at. We'll be posting live updates from the red carpet, so make sure you check out our website on January 27, the link is in my profile.

Ok, let's get on with the hilarity! (or at least, I hope it's hilarity...but i'll settle for a slight tickling of the funny bone.)

**Dedication:** For Marian, who is currently in hospital after having surgery to remove cancerous tumours. I hope you're able to read this in the short period you're allowed on your laptop, and I tried to make it extra funny just for you!

* * *

_Chapter 6: Showtime!

* * *

_

"…a complete and utter lack of respect for others. I know you are not currently under my employ, but you are not guests and if we let everyone just do as they please, we'd have teenagers...fornicating all over the place!! And just what were you thinking…"

Fulton's voice droned on and on in a seemingly never-ending tirade which had all but become a buzz in the back of Troy's mind. Shifting uncomfortably on the balls of his feet, he snuck a glance at the girl beside him. Gabriella's head was bowed, her curly locks forming a screen through which you could just see the pink tinge of embarrassment staining her cheeks. Instinctively sensing his gaze upon her, she looked up and caught his eyes. He sent her what he hoped was a reassuring smile, prompting her to smile back, her eyes regaining some of the sparkle that he loved so much.

"And you're not even listening to me, are you? Fine, you can go, but if I catch you two again involved in gross public displays of your hormones, then I will have to ask you to leave, talent show or no talent show, capiche?"

Troy and Gabriella jumped guiltily and snapped their heads back to look at Fulton, who was staring them down with a slight hint of amusement shining through his spectacles. They both nodded their heads vigorously in response before turning on their heels and escaping out the door. They walked in hurried silence til they emerged from the main building out into the fading light of dusk, their eyes blinking at the sudden change in ambient light.

"Well, that was…"

"Awkward, embarrassing, Oh-My-God-I-can-never-look-him-in-the-eye-again-and-we-almost-gave-that-little-girl-an-early-crash-course-in-sex-education bad?"

Gabriella finished off Troy's trailing sentence, as he stuck his hands in his pockets in an attempt to ward off the thoughts currently swirling in his brain…

_Damn it, if she isn't gorgeous when she's slightly flushed like that, maybe if I just lead her over to a bunker like I thought this morning, surely no-one could find us there…_

_Oh, what in the hell are you thinking Bolton? You just got caught feeling her up by your former employer and a minor and still all you can think about is how soft her skin is, how she tastes, how she makes that little half moan/half whimper when you kiss that exact spot on her neck…_

"I'm up here Wildcat."

Gabriella's voice broke through Troy's out of control thoughts, as he realised he'd been staring at her chest throughout his entire internal argument. He raised his head to meet her eyes, gleaming knowingly, matched by the smirk on her face. Feeling embarrassed for a second, he quickly chucked any previous reservations out the window as he retracted his hands from his pockets and pulled her close.

"I know…but can I help it if the view slightly south of your face is just so mesmerising," Troy replied, shooting a prolonged glance at her breasts to emphasise his statement.

"You're incorrigible Troy! How can you even think about that after what just happened?" Gabriella exclaimed, slightly pushing against his chest to increase the distance between them.

"Ummm, I'm a guy?" he offered weakly in response, before pulling her back in close, which was, to be fair, an action Gabriella was not protesting against with any great zeal.

Stilling in his embrace for a moment, Gabriella seemed to be contemplating something. Worried that he may have offended her in some way, he moved to pull back but was stopped as she looped her hands around his neck.

"Yes you are Troy Bolton, and that is one of the things I love about you," she whispered, before closing the gap between their lips and kissing him firmly.

Pulling her hips even closer to his, he deepened the kiss, completely ignoring the little voice in the back of his head providing a running internal dialogue that went something like: _What the hell are you doing? You're only 10 feet away from the door! If you get caught, Fulton will kick you out then you'll have one pissed off Sharpay on your hands because you ruined her show! And Fulton will call your parents and you'll have to explain to Dad what you were doing half-naked in a golf cart with your equally undressed girlfriend! And once again to reiterate, Sharpay will…_

"Oh God, you two are still going at it?! Just when did the golden boy and the innocent geek become such nymphomaniacs?!"

…_screech at us so loud our ear-drums almost burst._

Gabriella had jerked back at the intrusion, turning to face the gaggle of familiar faces staring at them unabashedly.

Straightening his shirt, Troy shot a glare in Sharpay's direction, which she replied to with a simple raise of her eyebrow as if to say 'Well, I'm right aren't I?'

"Congrats dude, getting to second base in the storage shed? That's one for the record books," Chad blurted out, causing Taylor to whack him in the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Being a hormone-driven idiot," she replied matter-of-factly, crossing her arms.

"Wait…you already know about us, uh, getting caught?" Gabriella asked, the red stain of embarrassment once again gracing her features.

"Charles, you remember Charles, the valet? Anyway, Charles was walking past the shed when Mrs Cranston stormed out with her daughter muttering something about inappropriate sexual displays in public and that in her day, getting to second base required being engaged at least, blah, blah, blah…" Sharpay explained, before Kelsi continued,

"Then Charles saw the two of you following Fulton out of the shed and put two and two together. So he went and told Aimee, the massage therapist, who was walking past…"

"Who proceeded to tell Vince from maintenance…" Martha chimed in, before looking over at Zeke,

"Who told Lenny the caterer…"

"Who then told Sarah the receptionist…" Jason added on,

"Who finally told Brad, the drummer for the band, who relayed it when he came to tell us that Marian the seamstress needed us back in the dressing rooms for last minute costume alterations," Ryan finished with a flourish.

By the end of their friends' little tale, Troy and Gabriella had flushed bright red with the knowledge that pretty much the entire Lava Springs staff knew about the incident.

"Alright, as much fun as embarrassing these two is, we'd better get a move on, the show starts in an hour."

Ever the pragmatist, Taylor started to usher everyone towards the performing area. Exchanging a quick glance, Troy and Gabriella reluctantly followed their friends, all of them walking in silence til…

"So, what advice can you give me on successfully pulling off golf cart sex?"

"Chad!"

"What, it was just a question!"

* * *

Troy stared grumpily in the mirror, as he readjusted his cap to sit slightly to one side on his head. He'd only been in this costume again for 5 minutes and already the skin-tight lycra was making his legs sweat, the tunic was itchy and the cap just would not stay where it was supposed to. All in all, he was quickly returning to his initial reservations about this day, and all thanks to this laughter-inducing apparel.

"Need some help there Wildcat?"

Gabriella's head appeared behind his in the mirror, as her petite hands made short work of settling the cap in its proper position. Pressing a gentle kiss to his neck, she wound her arms around his shoulders, bringing her body flush against his. The low-cut nature of her dress meant that the tops her breasts were pressed deliciously close to Troy's back, the material of the skirt brushing lightly against his legs.

"As a matter of fact I do…see I have this problem. My girlfriend has been in the same room as me for almost a minute and I haven't been able to kiss her yet," Troy explained in mock seriousness.

"Hmmm, that is quite the problem, isn't it? Let's see if I can't help you to rectify this situation," Gabriella responded thoughtfully, moving so she was between Troy and the mirror. Standing on her tip-toes, she lightly brushed his lips with hers, before bounding away cheekily.

"Hey, what do you call that?!" Troy said in disappointment.

"You never specified how long or deep the kiss had to be," she said slyly, "Besides, I can't ruin this make-up or crinkle this dress, and I know that's what'll happen if I let you get your hands on me Bolton."

Troy's semi-pleading reply was cut off as a loud yell of pain emanated from the dressing room next door. Heading over to investigate, Troy and Gabriella were welcomed by the sight of Ryan lying on the floor, cradling his knee in agony as Chad hovering guiltily next to him, a wooden staff hanging limply in his grip.

"I'm so sorry man, I didn't even see you there!" he exclaimed, helping Ryan into a sitting position.

"What happened?" Troy asked.

"Chad was goofing off with that staff, swinging it around and stuff and he accidentally whacked Ryan in the knee," Zeke explained.

"See, this is what happens when you give boys blunt objects, they turn into idiotic caveman," Taylor said exasperatedly as Jason helped Chad pull Ryan standing and Sharpay stalked over to her brother, half-worried/half-annoyed.

"You can't be hurt! You have to be in this act, since I'm not in it, they need at least one seasoned performer on stage with them," she said anxiously.

"Gee, thanks sis, I'm fine, thanks for asking," Ryan commented sarcastically, before testing his knee out gingerly.

"I think I'll be ok to dance some things, but that ending leap will have to go, I don't think my knee would hold up at the moment."

"But that leap is crucial! It's at the high point of the song, we can't leave it out!" Sharpay cried.

Kelsi whispered something to Martha, who got an evil grin on her face.

"I have an idea…since Chad's the reason Ryan won't be able to perform the routine properly, he can do the leap in Ryan's place," she said, grinning at a horrified Chad.

"Uh, no way! I agreed to be in this, to sing and do a little bit dancing, to even wear these stupid costumes, but there is no way in hell I'm gonna do that ballet crap Evans does, I'd rather strip naked and streak at a Knights basketball match!"

Chad crossed his arms in defiance, daring them to contradict him, but under the weight of glaring stares from 5 sets of female eyes, his bravado faltered, his arms dropping down to his sides.

Looking in askance from face-to-face, Chad saw no sympathy and understanding, only indifference from the girls and amusement from the guys. Dropping his head for a moment and letting out a sigh, he looked up again.

"I'm going to do the leap, aren't I?" he asked defeated.

"You better believe it," Taylor answered sternly.

"Who's whipped now?" Troy teased, earning him a dirty look from his best friend.

At that moment, a stagehand entered the room.

"Miss Evans, the show's about to start, it's time for your opening speech…oh, and the rest of you are on in 20 minutes."

Flipping her hair behind her dramatically, Sharpay followed the stagehand back out the door, but not before calling over her shoulder,

"Make sure Chad knows that move back-to-front and inside-out, you've got 20 minutes to perfect it."

Groaning, Chad turned to Ryan for instructions as the other Wildcats returned to their previous tasks, fixing hair, adding finishing touches to costumes and quietly reciting their lines. Laughing as Chad demonstrated his limited leaping skills, Troy turned to check his appearance once more in the mirror, letting out a grunt of frustration as his cap had once again shifted from its rightful place.

_Well, I guess its showtime…mortal embarrassment here I come._


	8. Chapter 7: Robin Hood and His Merry Men

**Title:** Wildcats in Tights

**Summary:** It's New Year's Eve and the Wildcats have been roped in to performing for a charity talent show at Lava Springs. Meanwhile, all Troy wants is some alone time with Gabi on the one-year anniversary of their first meeting…

**Rating:** T

**Pairings:** Troyella, with background Chaylor, Zekepay and Jelsi

**Disclaimer:** High School Musical and all of its characters belong to Disney. I'm just borrowing them for a while.

**A/N: **I feel so repetative saying this, but you guys deserve it, thanks once again to all the reviewers! We're almost at the end of this little tale, just one more chapter and the epilogue left to go! I hope you like this one, writing singing scenes is not my strong point, but I hope I did this one justice.

**Dedication:** For everyone who has visited our website ZA Angels over the past two weeks. It still amazes me how many hits we have gotten, and all the nice comments just make me squeal with happiness. We'll try our best to keep it as good as it can possibly be!

* * *

Chapter 7: Robin Hood and His Merry Men

* * *

"Move over, I can't see."

"Hey, watch it! That's my toe."

"Oh god, is that Principal Matsui, what's he doing here?"

"Guys, sshhhh!"

The Wildcats fell silent at Gabriella's harsh whisper, looking sheepish and shooting apologetic looks her way. She nodded in satisfaction and turned back around so her head was once again right next to Troy's.

"You ready for this Wildcat?" she asked softly, her fingers intertwining with his.

"If I say no, you won't kill me?" he joked in reply.

They were standing behind the curtain at back of the stage, waiting to be announced for the talent show. Anthony, the self-proclaimed prolific performer who had hit on Gabriella earlier, had just finished his high-energy medley of 'The Boy From Oz' songs and was bowing theatrically to the crowd. From the small gap in the curtain, they could also see Sharpay standing on the edge of the stage looking annoyed at his antics, dressed to the nines in a sparkly gown which surely could be visible from space. Beyond her, a sea of faces waited eagerly, the lights of the stage making them seem like disembodied heads. The first few rows of chairs were filled with children from the hospital and their parents, the excitement on their faces enough to ease some of Troy's nerves.

_This is for the kids, they'll love it even if you look like an idiot. Hell, they'll probably like it more if it is silly. So get out there and…_

Troy's train of thought was interrupted by the feel of his girlfriend's thumb rubbing small circles on the back of his hand. He knew that she was trying to be comforting, but the feather-light caress sent sparks shooting up his arm, down his chest and coming to rest somewhere below his belt. He shifted uncomfortably, tugging his tunic down with his free hand.

_Damn it, how can one little touch turn me on so much?! I think sometimes my body just lives in the gutter…Gabi can touch me lightly on the shoulder and that's enough to get me aroused! _

Gently extricating his hand from hers in an attempt to a) regather his thoughts and b) make sure he didn't end up performing with a rather noticeable, ah, 'problem' (the lycra tights weren't helping either, they hid absolutely nothing), he saw a puzzled and slightly hurt look cross Gabriella's face. He sent her a look of apology, before involuntarily looking down to check that his preventative measures had not come too late. His girlfriend's eyes followed his gaze, and a slight blush appeared on her cheeks as she realised why he'd let go of her hand, before she shot him a cheeky smirk. Making sure his eyes were on her, she deliberately made a show of rearranging the top half of her dress, so that her breasts jiggled enticingly.

_Is she trying to kill me? That little minx part of her sure seems to like torturing me!_

"Hey, what are you two doing up there? You'd better not be engaging in any inappropriate touching, there are innocent eyes around!" Chad's voice exclaimed from behind them.

The sarcastic reply on the tip of Troy's tongue was cut-off as Sharpay's booming voice echoed across the stage.

"Ok, get your dancing shoes on kids! Please welcome our next act, singing the original song 'You're the Music in Me', Troy Bolton, Gabriella Montez and some of East High's most talented Wildcats!!"

Stiffening, he shared a nervous look with Gabriella and the rest of the Wildcats, before taking a deep breath and pushing the curtain to one side.

The light applause in response to Sharpay's introduction greeted Troy as he walked self-consciously out onto the stage, taking his position next to the Styrofoam tree, the other guys lining up beside him. On the opposite side of the stage, Gabriella and the girls found their marks, nervous excitement rippling through them.

Kelsi, who had taken her place by the piano, started to play the opening few notes as the lights dimmed to spotlight Gabriella, her soft voice floating on the wind,

"_Na na na na, na na na na, yeah…you are the music in me."_

Troy watched as his girlfriend moved to the front of the stage, her dress swishing gently behind her. He was so mesmerised by her voice, that it took a little nudge from Ryan to remind him that he needed to move forward and start singing.

"_You're the harmony to the melody…"_

The spotlight widened to include the two of them, as Troy reached out to run his hand along Gabriella's arm. She smiled in response, turning to face him as they launched into the chorus, their movements becoming more energetic in response to the lifted tempo.

"_When I hear my favourite song…"_

The lights flooded the stage, illuminating the rest of the Wildcats as they set about starting their dance moves in the background, Martha and Ryan taking the lead since they were the most experienced, though Ryan's moves were a little more subdued than usual.

Troy was oblivious to this all though, focussed completely on Gabriella as they sang their hearts out. Twirling her around, he smiled broadly as she cheekily shot him a smile, before turning her attention to sing the first part of the next verse to the audience.

"_It's like I knew you before we met…"_

The kids in the crowd started to clap in time with the beat, their enthusiasm encouraging Troy to be more daring as he twisted Gabriella around and dipped her low, causing his cap to slide comically forward, covering his eyes. Gabriella giggled mid-word, pushing the cap back to its rightful place as she extricated herself from his grasp and sang even louder.

"_Oh, you're singing to me…"_

The others started to sing back-up at this juncture, their voices blending together to make the song sound even fuller and vibrant.

Out in the audience, some of the children were up and dancing, trying to mimic the moves they could see being performed on stage. The adults were getting into it too, bopping their heads along to the infectious rhythm.

"_Together we're gonna sing…"_

The two were on opposite sides of the stage, reaching their hands towards each other as they hit the climax of the song. In the background, Chad prepared to execute his hastily-rehearsed leap, the other Wildcats clearing the centre of the stage.

"_Can't keep it all inside…"_

As Troy and Gabriella's voices hit high note and the music lead into the short instrumental break, Chad took off running and leapt high into the air. For a split-second he flew through the air like a professional ballet dancer, the Wildcats holding their breath in anticipation. Then, just as suddenly as he had began, gravity wreaked its vengeance and he came crashing down hard onto the stage, the rope tying his Friar costume coming loose and letting the rough material pool on the stage.

The music was still playing as the crowd broke into raucous laughter at the sight of Chad sitting stunned in the middle of the stage wearing only a pair of love-heart boxers. Turning bright red, he gathered up his costume with as much dignity as he could muster before trying to blend back into the group.

Taking pity on their friend (and knowing Sharpay was probably already going nuclear over this glitch), Troy and Gabriella pulled the crowds' attention back to them as they sang the chorus for the last time.

Pulling Gabriella as close as he possibly could, he rubbed his nose against hers in the softest of butterfly kisses, as his free hand wrapped around her waist.

"_You are the music in me…yeah…"_

As the music faded away into nothingness, Troy got lost in Gabriella's eyes and completely forgetting that they were on a stage in front of an audience of children, sealed his lips over hers in a deep kiss.

They broke apart a few seconds later though as the wild cheers (and a few "Ewww, gross, doesn't she have cooties?!" from the young boys in the audience) penetrated through the haze of passion.

Flushing, they pulled back and took a bow with the rest of the group, Zeke nudging Troy in the ribs knowingly and Taylor shooting Gabriella a wide smirk.

Walking off the stage hand-in hand, Troy and Gabriella were the last of the Wildcats to reach the dressing rooms. Once there, silence reigned before…

"So, love-hearts huh?" Zeke asked raising his eyebrow.

Chad blushed violently, before whacking Zeke on the arm.

"Shut up man, they were a gift from my Nanna ok?"

"Aw, how sweet of you to wear them Chad," Jason said mockingly.

Taylor moved to wrap her arms around her boyfriend.

"Don't listen to them, I think it's sexy that a guy is willing to lose some of his masculinity to make a little old lady happy," she whispered.

"Really?" Chad asked hopefully.

"Uh-huh," Taylor mumbled in reply before kissing him.

"Hey, who's involved in inappropriate touching now?!" Troy exclaimed, laughter rippling through the group at the evil glare Chad shot his best friend's way.

"Seriously though, that leap was good Chad…right up until you went crashing to the ground…ever considered trying out for a school production? You'd be a cinch for the role of _Random Clumsy Guy in the Background_," Ryan commented, sarcasm colouring his voice.

Martha snorted and Kelsi giggled in response as Chad moved menacingly towards Ryan, his hand raised.

"Ok, break it up you two," Gabriella interrupted from her spot at Troy's side, "We don't need anyone having black eyes when we go back out there for the presentation of the winner."

To emphasise her words, at that moment a stagehand entered the dressing room to tell them to line up at the back of the stage ready for the presentation. They had been the second to last act (Sharpay being last of course, she had to end the show with a bang) so mere minutes after leaving the stage, they were needed back again.

After Sharpay had ended her glass-shattering last note, the rest of the performers lined up on the stage. While jostling for space, Troy glared and quickly switched places with Gabriella so she was squished between him and Taylor, when he saw Anthony eyeing her up and down lasciviously (or at least, it was to his mind…even though the kid was 10 and probably had no clue what lasciviously meant in the first place).

Stepping forward, Sharpay grabbed the microphone once again and cleared her throat.

"Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls, it is my pleasure to announce that the winners of the first annual Lava Springs New Year's Eve Charity Talent Show are…my good friends; Troy Bolton, Gabriella Montez and the East High Wildcats for their enthusiastic and heartfelt rendition of 'You're the Music in Me', complete with an in-built comedic interlude provided by Chad Danforth!"

Chad glared daggers at Sharpay as the group stepped forward to receive their award. Gazing out over the jubilant young faces before him, Troy grinned widely.

"See, that wasn't so bad was it Wildcat?" Gabriella asked.

"Nope, it really wasn't…" Troy's sentence trailed off as he was distracted by a bright flash of light from the side of the stage. Frowning, he rubbed his eyes and looked again, but there was nothing there.

_I could have sworn that was a camera flash…nah, Sharpay said there wouldn't be any, your mind is just playing tricks on you Bolton._

Pushing the strange flash out of his mind, he focussed back on bowing in gratitude with the rest of the Wildcats.

"Now that we've got that out of the way…time to party!" Jason yelled into the microphone which he had wrenched away from Sharpay.

Troy wrapped his arm around his girlfriend's waist...

_This night has only just begun!_


	9. Chapter 8: Saturday Night Fever

**Title:** Wildcats in Tights

**Summary:** It's New Year's Eve and the Wildcats have been roped in to performing for a charity talent show at Lava Springs. Meanwhile, all Troy wants is some alone time with Gabi on the one-year anniversary of their first meeting…

**Rating:** T

**Pairings:** Troyella, with background Chaylor, Zekepay and Jelsi

**Disclaimer:** High School Musical and all of its characters belong to Disney. I'm just borrowing them for a while.

**A/N: **Guess what I've got for you...a new chapter! I know the last one hasn't been up long, but I had some free time on my hands, so here we are. This is the last full chapter, but there is still an epilogue left to go! Thanks once again to the reviewers, both returning and first-timers...and a special shout-out to _zacharyteflonforpresident_ - I read your review on the prequel for this fic...Firefly is amazing, I'm still trying to figure out how to get one of these guys to say 'I can kill you with my brain' or 'Curse your sudden yet inevitable betrayal...mine is an evil laugh' :)

**Dedication:** To all the regulars at the rooftop for their unwavering support and positive feedback. You girls have made the last few weeks the most fun I've had in ages (has it really only been a few weeks?!) and I bet that it's only going to get better!

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_Chapter 8: Saturday Night Fever

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_

"Ok, I will never be able to look Vince in the eye again…thanks Ryan," Zeke said sarcastically as he dropped to the ground with a groan.

"Hey, you're the one who picked dare dude, don't blame Evans," Chad replied with a smirk.

The Wildcats were sitting in a circle on the slightly damp fairway of the thirteenth hole, mid-way through a game of Truth or Dare, the only light provided by a few flickering lanterns and the stars above. After the talent show had wrapped up, Sharpay had produced a giant hamper filled with food and the gang had headed out away from the crowd at the main clubhouse to ring in the New Year together.

Troy was acting as a hot-water bottle for Gabriella, his arms wrapped firmly around her as she was curled up on his lap. His chin was resting on the top of her head, his warm breath slightly disturbing her chocolate curls with every puff. Around the circle, the other Wildcats were in similar positions to combat the cold, even Ryan and Martha were sitting close together.

"Fine, fine…but if Vince spreads a rumour that I like to cross-dress, expect payback," Zeke said menacingly in Ryan's direction as the rest of the gang suppressed a snigger, the memory of Zeke squeezed into one of Sharpay's dresses walking around the golf course in high heels fresh in their minds.

"Ok, my turn…," Zeke said slowly as his gaze wandered over the Wildcats, "Ah, Kelsi, truth or dare?"

The petite composer looked startled for a second, since she'd been preoccupied by Jason's hand on her knee, before gathering her thoughts and replying, "Dare," confident that Zeke wouldn't have the guts to make her do anything too outrageous.

Rubbing his hands together with glee, Zeke got an evil glint in his eye which made Kelsi start to reconsider her previous assumption.

"Ok, then I dare you to…jump in the lake!" Zeke exclaimed, pointing to the black expanse of water a few metres away from them.

"But, but…the water will be freezing!" Kelsi protested, looking around the group pleadingly.

"Sorry Kels," Martha said sympathetically, "Rules are rules."

With a sigh, Kelsi abandoned her comfortable position next to Jason, removing her jacket and shoes before approaching the water's edge.

Hesitantly dipping her toe in as the other Wildcats cheered her on, she took a deep breath and jumped feet first into the freezing water. Screaming in shock at the sub-zero temperature, she quickly hopped back out onto the grass, shivering violently.

Jason, being the sweet (though slightly clueless) guy that he was, quickly wrapped her jacket back around her, and sat her down on his lap to get warm, not even caring that he was getting soaked through.

"Wow, way to go Kelsi," Sharpay commented, impressed that she had actually jumped in.

"Th-thanks," she stuttered before glancing around the group for the next victim. Her gaze fell on Troy, who seemed completely oblivious to everyone else has he was gazing down at Gabriella with a soft smile on his face.

"Troy, truth or dare?"

_Huh? Did someone just ask me something? Oh, truth or dare right…damn it, when will this game end, I want to spend some time alone with Gabi before midnight!_

"Truth."

"Chicken," Taylor commented, earning her a high-five from her boyfriend.

Ignoring Taylor, Troy focussed on Kelsi as she considered a good question to ask. After discarding potential questions as being too easy or too stupid, a light bulb went off in her head.

"Ok…when did you first realise that you loved Gabriella?"

Furrowing his brow thoughtfully, he looked down at his girlfriend before confidently stating,

"I can't pick an exact moment. I think falling in love with her is a never-ending process that started on this day last year. Every time I hear her sing or laugh, or see her smile I fall just a little bit more in love with her."

Troy's heartfelt declaration was punctuated by a kiss to Gabriella's hair as she turned her head up to look at him adoringly.

"That is one of the sweetest things you've ever said to me…right up alongside that little speech you gave me on Christmas Eve," she whispered before gently pressing her lips to his.

"Oh man, when did my best friend get so sappy?! I thought the tights-wearing was bad, but this…this is just wrong dude!" Chad exclaimed, shaking his head, "Guys aren't supposed to be all in touch with their feelings…you're scaring me man."

Troy just smirked in reply as looked pointedly down at Gabriella, who was contently nuzzling his neck.

"I think it's adorable," Sharpay said, causing all eyes to turn to her in shock.

"What, I'm not totally immune to cute displays of affection, I'm not that much of an ice queen," she elaborated testily, snuggling against Zeke to prove her point.

At that moment, strains of music could be heard emanating from the clubhouse, someone having obviously cranked up the volume. Peering down at her watch, Taylor whistled.

"Only 30 minutes to go Wildcats!"

_30 minutes? Damn it, it's now or never Bolton._

Troy jumped up, startling Gabriella as he pulled her up with him, before he started to steer her away from the group towards the next hole on the golf course.

"Hey! Where are you going? It's your turn!" Ryan questioned indignantly.

Stopping to scoop up one of the lanterns, Troy called over his shoulder,

"I gave up having a romantic anniversary date with Gabi to participate in the show and hang with you guys, so for this half an hour, she's all mine…See ya next year!"

Before the Wildcats could protest any further, Troy and Gabriella disappeared over the rise, the glow of their lantern lingering before that too disappeared into the darkness.

Chad jumped up to go after them, but Taylor held him back.

"Let them go Chad, this night is special to them."

He shrugged off her hand and whirled around accusingly.

"But they'll miss the fireworks! And wasn't the whole point of this to spend New Year's Eve together? Troy's abandoning his friends for his girlfriend, that's just not right!"

Chad's voice had become louder and the rest of the Wildcats looked between him and Taylor uneasily.

"Yes, but they deserve to have some alone time, the anniversary of when they met is special to them…And at least Troy actually remembers the day they met, I bet you don't even remember the first time we met!" Taylor challenged exasperatedly.

"Oh yeah? For your information Miss McKessie, I do to! It was the first day of first grade, I accidentally poured glue all over your painting and you whacked me in the head with a book!"

That statement shocked Taylor into silence, as her angry look faded into amazed smile.

"You remember that?" she asked softly.

Chad nodded sheepishly in acknowledgement before staggering back as his girlfriend threw her arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely.

"Guess the romantic mood is catching," Martha commented wryly, sharing an amused look with Ryan as Zeke and Sharpay and Jason and Kelsi all seemed preoccupied with each other.

"Yeah, Happy New Year…more like Sappy New Year," he replied, though the smile on his face showed that he meant it in jest.

* * *

Meanwhile, Troy and Gabriella had walked in silence for a few minutes, enjoying just being near one another with only the moon and stars bearing witness. Troy gazed down at his girlfriend every so often, still amazed that it had been one year since they had first met.

_And I thank God every day that I met her…or maybe that should be thank mom, since she's the one who picked that ski resort…and who made me go to that party._

"What are you thinking about Wildcat?"

Gabriella's soft question caused Troy to lose his train of thought as he once again looked down at her. The moonlight was making her skin glow ethereally and the stars were no match for those shining in her eyes.

_Oh man, there I go again, sappy as ever…but she's worth it._

Troy grinned in response, lowering his head to whisper in her ear nonchalantly,

"Oh, just thinking about how gorgeous my girlfriend is and how much she's gonna hate me when I throw her in that bunker."

"Wha…ahhh!"

Gabriella's puzzled question was cut off as Troy dropped the lantern on the ground, scooped her up in his arms and deposited her with a thump into the sand bunker next to him.

"Troy!" she yelled in shock, reaching up one hand to grab his ankle so that he slid down into the bunker next to her. Giggling hard, she pounced on him, her fingers seeking out his ticklish sides in vengeance.

"Ahh, Gabi, stop!" he managed to vocalise as he tried desperately to pull her hands away from him through his laughter. After struggling for a few seconds, he managed to flip them over so that Gabriella's back was pressed into the sand, with his length plastered against her, his hands pinning hers down next to her head.

"Hmmm, you know, I thought this was what I'd have to resort to this morning…abducting you and hiding out in a bunker on the fourteenth green so I could get you all to myself."

"Really? Well, it seems like you've managed to successfully execute your original plan of attack Bolton, so what's the next step?" Gabriella asked breathlessly beneath him.

"The next step?" Troy said thoughtfully as he lowered his head to hers, "Hmmm, I think that would be having my wicked way with you."

"Wicked way…" Gabriella managed to parrot back before Troy captured her lips with his in a searing kiss.

Letting go of her wrists, he moved his right hand to tangle in her hair, as his left stroked up and down her arm before coming to rest on the curve of her breast, eliciting a moan from his girlfriend which granted him access to tangle his tongue with hers.

Shifting his weight so he could rock his hips easier against hers, he gently nudged her legs apart with his knee so he was pressed against her even more intimately, groaning when she bucked her hips upwards in response.

Pulling away from the kiss, he kissed a trail of fire down her neck…

_Now where's that spot that always makes her…_

Gabriella suddenly let out a breathy half moan/half squeal, her hands clutching onto his back desperately as he licked and nibbled at the little patch of skin directly below her ear.

_Ah, there it is._

Grinning smugly, he rubbed small circles with the pad of his thumb on her breast as her hands snaked up his top to caress his back and stomach.

_I could do this all day, Gabriella's like an addiction I don't want to shake._

The girl in question pulled his head back up at that moment, once again kissing him passionately, accompanied by the occasional moan as he cupped her breast more fully, or thrust his hips against hers.

_Beep Beep…Beep Beep_

The annoying high pitched sound blasted its way through the haze of passion clouding Troy's mind. Groggily pulling back from Gabriella, he looked around wildly for the source of the intrusion, before remembering that he had set his cell phone's alarm to go off at one minute to midnight.

Gabriella seemed to realise what the noise was at the same time and with a saucy smile on her face, ran her hand down his abs and into his pocket to retrieve the item in question, deliberately brushing her hand against him as she pulled it out and turned the alarm off.

"You're a minx," he growled lightly in response, rolling his hips in revenge to make her gasp.

Knowing that if he kissed her again, they'd miss the countdown, he settled on resting his weight gently against her, letting his head drop so their foreheads were touching.

"So…What's your New Year's resolution going to be?" he asked softly.

"To have fun, graduate and spend every moment I can with you," she replied as he gently kissed her nose.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Troy whispered as they started to hear shouts and yells carried on the wind, before the sky above them burst into colour; pink, purple and green sparks shooting over their heads.

"Happy New Year Gabi."

"Happy New Year Troy."

Kissing softly, Troy then stood up and offered his hand to Gabriella, pulling her up too. Wiping as much of the sand off as they could, they climbed out of the bunker and stopped for a moment to watch the light display above. Then arm-in-arm they ventured back towards their friends, ready to party into the small hours of the morning.

_Happy New Year indeed._


	10. Epilogue: 10 Things I Hate About You

**Title:** Wildcats in Tights

**Summary:** It's New Year's Eve and the Wildcats have been roped in to performing for a charity talent show at Lava Springs. Meanwhile, all Troy wants is some alone time with Gabi on the one-year anniversary of their first meeting…

**Rating:** T

**Pairings:** Troyella, with background Chaylor, Zekepay and Jelsi

**Disclaimer:** High School Musical and all of its characters belong to Disney. I'm just borrowing them for a while.

**A/N:** Here we are, the very last part of this little tale! Thank you so much to every reviewer from over the course of this story, you guys kept me motivated to write! I'm sad to be ending this because it's been a lot of fun to write but I do have two new fics in the pipeline. The first is a short M-rated Troyella fic, the first chapter of which will be up shortly and the second is a co-written epic (or at least, we hope it will be an epic) with my good friend Audrey. It will be our version of HSM 3 based around the short plot outline Disney have released, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Ok, that's enough rambling from me, let's wrap this baby up!

**Dedication:** To every single person who left a review, added this to their favourites or added it to their alerts. When I started this fic, I didn't think so many people would find it as funny as I thought it was in my head, so this is dedicated to all of you…thanks for making me smile!

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_Epilogue: 10 Things I Hate About You

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_

"Wildcats everywhere, wave your hands up in the air…"

The cheerleader's peppy chant provided the perfect soundtrack to the first day back at school. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and excitement rippled through the air for the upcoming basketball Championships (the Wildcats had once again made it to the top, like there was ever any doubt after the previous year's success).

Troy stepped out of his truck, swinging the door shut before sauntering around to the other side to open the passenger door for Gabriella.

Sliding out of the seat, she grinned as he offered his arm to her gallantly.

"Shall we brave the horror that is East High Miss Montez?" he asked grandly, sweeping his hand over the scene before them.

"I believe we shall Mr Bolton," she replied in turn, looping her arm through his. As she rested her head against his shoulder, he smiled down at her. They'd spent almost every day together since New Year's, making a head start on Gabriella's New Year resolution…though New Years Day was mostly spent cuddled up in his bed, suffering the effects of the night before.

_Note to self: Never trust Chad when he says that those Jelly shots only contain a little bit of alcohol._

Walking across the grounds, they spotted the rest of the gang (minus Sharpay and Ryan) milling around the front door. Chad spotted them first, the guys slapping Troy on the back as the girls exchanged hugs of greeting.

"Why do girls always do that? I mean, you only saw each other yesterday when we went to the mall and today you're hugging like you've been apart for months!" Chad exclaimed, earning him dirty looks from the females in question.

"Maybe they have memories like goldfish and forget they saw one another," Jason commented thoughtfully. Kelsi playfully slapped him upside the head in response as the others groaned at his inane observation.

"So, ready to get back into studying?" Martha asked enthusiastically.

"Yes! I can't wait to start preparing for the SAT's, these last few months are going to be fun," Gabriella replied, her eyes shining at the prospect of learning something new.

"Only you could get excited about a heavier load of schoolwork Gabi," Troy teased, brushing a stray curl behind her ear before stiffening.

The uncomfortable feeling of being watched sent chills up his spine, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He quickly whipped his head around to find the culprit, his eyes coming to rest on a spot a few feet away. A group of sophomores huddled close together quickly averted their gazes and shuffled away, pretending that they had not just been caught staring. Frowning, Troy scanned the rest of the lawn area and saw that more than one group of students were staring and giggling to themselves quietly.

"What's wrong Wildcat?" Gabriella asked, having noticed her boyfriend's distracted state.

"Is it just me, or is everyone staring at us?" He asked hesitantly in reply.

"Everyone always stares at you Captain, you're the Golden Boy remember?" Zeke commented slightly sarcastically.

"I know…but this is different," Troy insisted, still glancing around and seeing students shoot the group furtive looks.

"Way to be paranoid Troy," Taylor remarked as the group entered the East High building, "Did all those pink jelly shots on New Year's permanently affect your mental…"

Taylor's voice faded away to nothing as the gang looked around the foyer in shock.

"Well, I knew she had the photographer, but I didn't think she'd do this," Kelsi murmured as Troy moved robotically over to the nearest pin-board.

There, in full glossy glory, was a picture of him dressed in his Robin Hood outfit, staring adoringly off frame at what he guessed would be Gabriella.

_She said…_

It wasn't the only photo though, it was surrounded by a myriad of images from the performance, from Chad sitting stunned half naked on the stage to Martha in the middle of a hip-hop move.

_There wouldn't be…_

Stepping back, Troy could see a shocked look on Chad's face which he was sure was mirrored by his own. As more students entered the building and saw the photo display, suppressed laughter and giggles became the predominant sound as the blood started to rush to Troy's cheeks and ears.

_Cameras!_

"Troy?" Gabriella asked softly, gently placing her hand on his arm, worried about the colour rising on her boyfriend's cheeks.

Troy stood frozen for a moment, the giggles dying down as the other students stopped to observe the rather interesting shade of purple their star playmaker was turning. Silence fell across the halls of East High until….

"SHARPAY EVANS, YOU ARE SO DEAD!"

_Note to self: Never trust Sharpay when she says that there won't be cameras!_


End file.
